Love Hard (2021)

A Christmas romcom that was nicer than expected, and a little sadder afterward.

Up to fifteen years ago, give or take, I used to feel the Christmas spirit. Through decorations, mainly. Christmas trees and red and white colours everywhere. Specially organised Christmas-themed markets popped up here and there and people gathered to spend a good time drinking hot spiced wine, even if overpriced.

As the years went by, the Christmas feeling faded more and more, until it became nothing but a period where my wallet suffers and decisions have to be (more often badly than well-) made between nice presents for the family and holidays abroad for the summer.

But the Christmas holidays always come with Christmas films, where people have houses with heavily decorated houses. So much that I can finally meet again the merry feeling while leaving my everyday life behind for an hour or two.

And streaming services sure have your back so you do not have to search very deep to find a Christmas-themed film. While scrolling through the seemingly good and less good, I found a few romcoms, one of which was Love Hard, a 2021 film.

The trailer, which happened to be more of a clip in the usual Netflix style, was light and showed right away how goofball the heroine was. For an alone second half evening watch, it was perfect.

It was a really pleasant watch. Even if the Christmas atmosphere is a bit slow to set in, the setting was well explained and the characters correctly introduced. No deep personality, yes, but enough to fulfil their purpose.

I was even surprised when Tag (yes, this is his name – a first for me) told his friends they should not laugh at Natalie’s kiwi-allergy-induced swollen face because she “must have a condition”. For a secondary character introduced to be the token cute guy, this was nice. When a character gave Natalie a drug joint first intended for Josh and she kept it, I really thought this would lead to a scene in a police station, but it went a completely different direction.

The ending was nice and looked like a good conclusion, bringing up elements that were given now and then during the rest of the film. I also liked Natalie’s conclusion came from a discussion with her boss, who gave his real wish for her, while telling only what she should think about, not what she just needs to be aware of. And as I came for the Christmas setting, I was glad it served both as an excuse to bring people together and for the plot.

After some time, the more I thought about the film, the more I found some nitpicks about it. It is strange, because the film is a great watch. It is fun. It gives you what you came for. But some elements are a bit questionable. Little details. I give you a few, not a complete list, because the film is good despite its flaws.

Let just take the scene with Natalie dancing in front of Tag. She sings a song about true love, but the dance is more inviting towards an intimate encounter. This scene, where she has her swollen face because of her kiwi allergy, is also just a free pass to fail to hook Tag while not being recognisable, and the kiwi allergy is never brought back later.

Some details also weaken the impact of scenes: Josh’s, who finally admits to his father what he really wants to do for a job, leaves out the matter of financing completely, despite telling earlier it was something that prevented him to follow this passion.

But the one element I felt sad about later after watching was Tag’s end. This character, who is not bad even if imperfect, who has been lied to by Natalie the whole film, just ends up leaving after learning the truth, with maybe a few words to try and fail to make him a bad guy. And this is it. Natalie may ask for forgiveness in front of everyone, but Tag deserved a better ending, even if not a happy-ever-after.

In a romcom, I like when the good guys get a good ending, and the bad guys get either a bad ending or a redemption. But a character who is not inherently bad, just imperfect, who has been lied to and who just leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Next Sunday evening, I will be watching another Christmas romance, The Noel Diary.

-- from the Evening Notes